Search Feature

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

When I think back on 2008, I feel so fortunate to have my family, my friends, my health.....I appeciate all of the nice friends I've met through this blog. You've opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many good people in the world. Thank you all for the kind words, the e-mails and the laughs. You're the ones that keep me coming back to this blog.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Ready to cold smoke my bacon.
I am using the cold smoke to add flavor, not cook the meat. The meat is smoked at a temperature of 85 and below.... 65 degrees seems to work out great for me. Only properly CURED meats can be cold smoked. When cold smoking, the internal temperature of the meat is not monitored.. the temperature of the smoke is kept at or under the desired temperature.
After cold smoking, the bacon will be sliced and fried or cooked before using.

Monday, December 8, 2008

After letting the fence down to coax her back in with a bucket of grain..........then watching as she went farther down the fence and JUMPED back in..... I did a temporary fix to my fence and climbed into my pickup just as a cold rain began to fall.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The first slab is getting a dry cure.
I used...
1 TBS of Tenderquick PER pound of bacon mixed with
1 tsp of the sugar PER pound of bacon..
1 1/2 tsp of cayenne
1 TBS of garlic powder
1 TBS of onion powder
1 TBS of cracked black pepper

I mix the spices well.....

Rub the cure into the meat on both sides...making sure I get the edges too. Then I pick up the bacon slab and shake off any excess.....

This second slab of bacon is getting a simple cure of Tenderquick, turbinado sugar and black pepper.... I use..
1 TBS of tenderquick PER pound of bacon
1 tsp of sugar PER pound of bacon and
1 single TBS of cracked black pepper

After rubbing the slabs with cure and shaking off any excess, I tightly wrap each one separately in plastic wrap...removing any air bubbles. I place the bacon in a container to catch any drips. Then set into my fridge for the next 6 to 7 days to cure.

For my loin or canadian bacon, I am using a brine cure...
I am using tenderquick/water brine with...
10 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
1 TBS of red pepper flakes
1 TBS of black peppercorns
and 1TBS of dried basil

I clean most of the fat from the back loin...

I disolve the tenderquick into the water and add the remaining ingredients...and the loins
Make sure they will stay submerged... then cover and place them into my fridge to cure for about 6 to 7 days.

Operation BBQ Relief

About Me

Born and raised in the country, I Love wide open spaces.
Enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, and any form of outdoor cooking, hot, warm and cold smoking. Preserving what I hunt, catch, raise or forage. I enjoy being able to provide food for my table.
I'm thankful for each day and will never take anything for granted.
Thanks for stopping by!

site content

The contents of the Site, such as text, graphics, images and other material ("Material"), are protected by US and foreign copyright and trademark law. Unauthorized use of the Material may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws. You must retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the original Material on any copy you make of the Material. You may not sell or modify the Material or reproduce, display, publicly perform, distribute, or otherwise use the Material in any way for any public or commercial purpose. The use of the Material on any other Web site or in a networked computer environment for any purpose is prohibited.